Polytheism—key to world peace?

New American, The, May 1, 2006

In order to bring about a peaceful, unified world, insisted Jean-Pierre Lehmann in the March 30 issue of the Globalist, "we should ... eradicate monotheistic religion in favor of polytheistic religion."

Lehmann is a key adviser to World Trade Organization director general Supachai Panitchpakdi and founder of the Evian Group, a body of prominent and influential people from Asia and Europe organized for the purpose of promoting "global governance." He cites the case of Abdul Rahman as evidence of the latent lethality of all monotheism. Rahman is the Afghan citizen arraigned in Kabul for the supposed crime of becoming a Christian, a capital offense under Islamic Sharia law.

While criticizing the contemporary depredations of Islamist regimes and terrorists, Lehmann insists that "Christianity was even worse in its own heyday.... Although both Christianity and Islam each have their strong points, without doubt, on balance their historical record would show more liabilities, more warfare, more intolerance, more persecution, than truly positive assets."

Lehmann calls for a concerted campaign to "eradicate monotheistic religion in favor of polytheistic religion," drawing on India as an example. He dismisses some unpleasant aspects of the Hindu culture, such as intolerant fundamentalism and the caste system, as "anomalies."

As an advocate of global government, Lehmann likely promotes polytheism not because it is true or beautiful, but because it is useful. Where belief in the One True God relegates government to a properly subordinate role, polytheism reduces religious faith to mere consumer preferences that can be manipulated by ruling elites to their advantage.